UMD or Ohio State?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Maryland - College Park
1

<p>So OSU and UMD are my best offers of admission and it's time for me decide where I'll be going next year but I'm really conflicted. I was invited to the Scholars program at UMD and I'm an in-state resident, so the tuition is reasonable, but I also got 2 scholarships for Ohio State which makes their tuition about the same as UMD's, but I didn't apply for their Honors/Scholars program because I didn't think I would like the school. Well, I went to visit last week and I fell in love, the campus was beautiful and all the people are really nice and have lots of school spirit, and they have so many programs and student activities as well. </p>

<p>My main problem now is that I don't have Scholars/Honors for OSU and the student population there isn't as diverse as I'd like it to be (I'm half Chinese, half White, so I like having a diverse population that I can relate to). It's also in Ohio, miles away from my family and anyone I know from school (which can be both a boon and a burden), so I'd be on my own in a different state. However, I am familiar with the school and their traditions because my dad and my uncle both went to Ohio State, so I'm not completely new to the school.</p>

<p>However, Maryland still seems to be a better offer with the Scholars program and having DC close by for internships and activities, as well as it being closer to my family (I live in the DC-Metro area, so I can Metro back and forth) and having about 50 people from my high school also attending. The problem is that I don't want it to be like high school all over again, and I don't really like the student community at UMD, but I really value the school's diversity and I know it's a much more selective school (I think it's acceptance rate this year was ~40% compared to OSU's ~65%), which makes it hard to give up for Ohio State.</p>

<p>Sorry for the super long post! Any opinions or advice would be really helpful to figure out which would be the best fit for me. Also, I will probably major in either Linguistics or Environmental Science (I know, they're different) so any advice on which school has stronger programs would be appreciated as well.</p>

2

<p>I was surprised that you said you didn’t like the student body at UMD, yet it is more diverse (which is what you want). It doesn’t have to be like high school all over again, if you don’t want it to be. What was different about the student body at the two schools? In Scholars, you will meet some great people, and you will have the advantage of being part of a small academic community while attending a large school. So, I think UMD wins on that one. I can’t speak for your majors, though.</p>

<p>You also said that the tuition at OSU will be “about the same.” That sometimes adds up to more money than people realize. Are your scholarships at OSU guaranteed for 4 years? </p>

<p>I think UMD is a better choice, but I am admitting a bias. I have a Terp and a Michigan Wolverine in the family :)</p>

3

<p>UMD is the better choice. Scholars at UMD is a great program. UMD is more diverse, 6% Asian at OSU, vs. 15% at UMD. My daughter is half Chinese as well. She wanted to go to a school with a diverse student population. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t worry about seeing other students from your high school at UMD. It is big enough that you probably won’t see them that often.</p>

4

<p>“So OSU and UMD are my best offers of admission and it’s time for me decide where I’ll be going next year but I’m really conflicted. I was invited to the Scholars program at UMD and I’m an in-state resident, so the tuition is reasonable, but I also got 2 scholarships for Ohio State which makes their tuition about the same as UMD’s, but I didn’t apply for their Honors/Scholars program because I didn’t think I would like the school. Well, I went to visit last week and I fell in love, the campus was beautiful and all the people are really nice and have lots of school spirit, and they have so many programs and student activities as well”
OH MAN. THAT WAS EXACTLY MY SITUATION. Word for word. OSU VS Umd, direct scholars admit at CP or apply for Osu scholars. I visited osu nd LOVED it, ppl were so nice my dad thought that they were being paid lol! For me Osu ended up being cheaper even though I’m instate at CP. But in the end I chose College Park. Every now and then I wonder, “should I have?” But I won’t really know till I go to CP nxt fall.
The biggest reason I chose cp was personal; my brother who I can’t get enough of is 2 nd I just don’t want to be away from him that long. But there are other reasons. I reasoned that I would continue the Terps legacy, take pride in knowing I got into a statistically more selective school, and more diversity. I got dc and well cp is ranked 18th as a party school by Playboy for 2010 (?) So its gotta still be more fun (I hope they aren’t crackin down as much). As for sports…well I know comparring OSU and the big 10 (and the michigan rivalry) to Maryland makes maryland look bad but I know the fans are still spirited and die hard and well that’s what matters. Basketball should be fine in 2 years anyway. Oh and another big reason; my laziness defeated me and I couldn’t bring myself to complete OSu’s scholars app soo OSU reg vs Maryland Scholars? Cmon, that’s too good an opportunity. You can’t waste that. Remember, you have 50+ years ahead of your 4 in college.</p>

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<p>My daughter was in the same situation, only she was admitted to OSU’s Honors/Scholars program & admitted to UMD’s regular (non-honors) program. She’s chosen to attend UMD in the fall for the reasons you describe (it also happens to be an excellent school for her major, and she was accepted into a Limited Enrollment Program). Maryland is a huge school & you won’t run into your HS classmates if you don’t go looking for them. :smiley: </p>

<p>Trust me, you will NOT be disappointed by Maryland.</p>

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<p>RE: people from high school… Both my daughters (as out of state students knowing no one to begin with) found that in the very beginning, people will see and maybe hang out with people they knew from high school, just because they are familiar faces. Not long into freshmen year, though, you will have found your own people, whether it be from your dorm, classes, or clubs/activities that you are part of. You can mostly avoid the people from high school, if you so choose…the campus is big enough to do so. And any “baggage” there is from high school is not a factor any more.</p>

7

<p>You can’t always run away from people from high school anyway. My D graduated high school in Chicago. In the last 2 years she has seen a few of her high school classmates on OSU campus. Some she knew were going there; a few others had transferred there. Then two nights ago she ran into another high school classmate at Panera Bread who was in town for some type of competition. She said she enjoyed catching up with him. </p>

<p>I guess I don’t have a point other than 2 years ago she wouldn’t have even considered going to a school in Illinois because of seeing high school classmates. Now she still sees them in Ohio and doesn’t care. She has her own life now, and it won’t take long for these soon-to-be college freshmen either.</p>

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<p>Ohio State is currently making the most strive academically in the nation, USC (Trojans) being the other imho. The school is certain to be included as one of the Top-50 if not Top-40 academic institution on USNWR by the time OP graduated. </p>

<p>Top-10 Public (Being Excellent and Becoming Eminent)</p>

<p>See: [Provost</a> Alutto’s Address to the University Senate 2012 - Office of Academic Affairs - The Ohio State University](<a href=“http://oaa.osu.edu/provost-address-to-senate-2012.html]Provost”>http://oaa.osu.edu/provost-address-to-senate-2012.html)</p>

<p>Financially, UMD is nowhere as stable as TOSU with annual $500 million state appropriations - most in the nation. Which translates into students having to deal with substantial annual tuition increase at UMD, whereas TOSU is capped by state legislatures at 3.5% max (if any). In fact, even during the economic downturn of 2007~2011, tOSU compared favorably with its Big Ten counterparts. </p>

<p>See: <a href=“http://www.mndaily.com/2009/09/30/big-ten-budgets-not-so-big[/url]”>http://www.mndaily.com/2009/09/30/big-ten-budgets-not-so-big&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Furthermore, no disrespect to the Terps athletic programs, but aren’t they struggling financially if not on the bleak of bankruptcy…</p>

<p>[Maryland</a> Athletics To Cut Eight Sports, President Wallace D. Loh Announces - SB Nation DC](<a href=“Maryland Athletics To Cut Eight Sports, President Wallace D. Loh Announces - SB Nation DC”>Maryland Athletics To Cut Eight Sports, President Wallace D. Loh Announces - SB Nation DC)</p>

<p>With state-of-the-art new facilities throughout tOSU campus (Main Library, RPAC, Ohio Union,…etc.), the most experienced and popular College President at the helm, Urban Meyer coaching football, Thad Matta for basketball, I really see little reason to pick UMD over tOSU, especially when diversity and selectivity at Ohio Sate continue to improve.</p>

<p>See: [OSU</a> plans to increase diversity and admission standards - Campus - The Lantern - Ohio State University](<a href=“http://www.thelantern.com/campus/osu-plans-to-increase-diversity-and-admission-standards-1.1642119]OSU”>http://www.thelantern.com/campus/osu-plans-to-increase-diversity-and-admission-standards-1.1642119)</p>

<p>See: [E</a>. Gordon Gee: The Big Man on Campus - The 10 Best College Presidents - TIME](<a href=“http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1937938_1937934_1937914,00.html]E”>http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1937938_1937934_1937914,00.html)</p>

<p>TOSU also plans to expand its dorms. Besides the current South Campus Dormitory Renovation Project, new dorms are to be added both in the North and West Campus in order to include all Sophomores to live on campus by 2015.</p>

<p>See: <a href=“http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/north-campus-dorm-redevelopment-project-news-updates[/url]”>http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/north-campus-dorm-redevelopment-project-news-updates&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Moreover, if you are still concerned with tOSU’s overall teaching or educational quality, know that tOSU is 2 points above UMD in terms of Undergrad Academic Reputation Index score on USNWR. Its ‘First-Year Experience’ program is also top-rated on USNWR. </p>

<p>Last but not least, currently with nearly 4 x the endowment than UMD, tOSU is set to kick-off $2.5+ billion fundraising campaign this fall. Sorry…, but so far as I am concerned, there is simply no comparison between the two schools in the immediate or foreseeable future. TOSU wins by more than a mile! </p>

<p>[The</a> Ohio State University: A Grand Institution - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>

<p>Best of Luck & Go Bucks! :)</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the advice! I ended up choosing Maryland because of its reputation and location, so it looks like I’ll be joining the Terp family this fall!</p>